1916.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 53a 



fate of ammonia on the soil, including the formation of soluble 

 manganese compounds and the character of a colloidal substance 

 obtained in soil extracts from the soils dressed with sulfate of 

 ammonia. He also continued his ctdture work with clover seed- 

 lings, using salts of iron, aluminium and manganese with and 

 without calcium carbonate. 



Mr. Beals has just begun the study of the comparative effects 

 of muriate and sulfate of potash on the soils of Field B. Espe- 

 cial attention will be given to the effects of the two salts on the 

 content of lime and magnesia. 



Tobacco. — During the summer the unusual weather condi- 

 tions caused many requests for advice concerning tobacco crops. 

 Consequently, considerable time was spent in visiting tobacco 

 fields, looking up meteorological records and the literature on 

 tobacco culture, and making a few soil moisture determinations. 

 Drainage waters from Field A were obtained and were ex- 

 amined, both in their relation to the tobacco problem and to 

 the study of Field A soils. 



Soil Problems. — Recently a little time has been spent in an 

 attempt to correlate the numerous soil analyses published in our 

 annual reports, with locality and possible soil formation. Also 

 an attempt has been made to outline a form of procedure which 

 could be followed by county agents when it became necessary, 

 in their judgment, to ask the experiment station for a soil 

 analysis. It appears possible, by utilization of the maps of the 

 United States Geological Survey, the published works on Massa- 

 chusetts geology, the actual soil surveys made, and analyses on 

 hand, to begin a systematic scheme of soil investigation which 

 would be of use to county agents and would also help whea the 

 time comes for a complete soil survey of the State. 



2. WOEK OF THE FERTILIZER SECTION. 



The work of the fertilizer section, in charge of Mr. Haskins, 

 with Messrs. Walker, Jones and Frost as assistants, may be 

 summarized as follows: — 



